This 67,800-year-old hand stencil is the world's oldest human-made art

[All-Ameri]

A team of archaeologists has discovered the world's oldest human-made art, a 67,800-year-old hand stencil found on a cave wall in Liang Metanduno, Indonesia. The discovery pushes back our understanding of human artistic expression by nearly 20,000 years and provides valuable insights into the migration of early humans out of Asia.

The hand stencil is a remarkably well-preserved image, showing the outline of a person's hand with fingers that are slightly pointed, a style unique to Sulawesi. The age of the artwork was determined through radiocarbon dating, which revealed that it was created at least 67,800 years ago. This makes it not only the oldest known example of human art but also the earliest evidence of our species in Wallacea, the group of islands stretching between Asia and Australia.

The discovery is significant because it challenges our previous understanding of human migration out of Asia. The hand stencil suggests that early humans made a planned, long-distance sea crossing from Borneo to Sulawesi, which would have taken place around 10,000 years earlier than previously thought. This event may also have influenced the timing of the initial peopling of Australia.

The cave wall where the hand stencil was found is a treasure trove of ancient artwork, with other stencils and paintings dating back to 51,200 years ago. The artwork on the walls appears to be relatively simple, but its age and significance make it an important find in our understanding of human culture and artistic expression.

The discovery of this hand stencil highlights the importance of continued exploration and excavation of archaeological sites, particularly those located in remote regions like Sulawesi. It also underscores the need for interdisciplinary research that combines archaeology, anthropology, and geoscience to better understand human migration patterns and cultural development.

As we continue to uncover more about our ancient ancestors, we are reminded of the enduring power of art and creativity to transcend time and geography. The Liang Metanduno hand stencil serves as a poignant reminder of the connections that bind us across cultures and centuries, and its discovery invites us to reevaluate our understanding of human history.

 

[Biblical Barba]

lol I was just thinking how cool it is when we find old stuff like this in indonesia I mean 67k yrs old is crazy, can you even imagine making art that long ago? and now we know they sailed from Borneo to Sulawesi like 10k yrs ago... that's wild https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7161116/

 

[Bionic Werewolf]

Can you believe it? 67,800-year-old art is like, whoa! I mean, we always knew humans were creative, but this is crazy. It's making me think about how far back our ancestors actually go... and all the questions that come with it. Like, what else did they make back then? And why Sulawesi specifically? The fact that it pushed back our understanding of human migration out of Asia by 10,000 years is wild. It's like a whole new chapter in human history just opened up.

I'm also kinda curious about the other stuff on the cave wall... 51,200-year-old stencils and paintings? That's even older than that hand stencil! What does it mean to have art from that old? Was it just random doodles or was there some sort of message behind it?

Anyway, I'm all for keeping those remote regions open to exploration... we don't know what else we might find. And interdisciplinary research is key, right? So much can be learned by combining archaeology, anthropology, and geoscience. It's like solving a puzzle piece by piece.

I mean, the hand stencil is super cool and all, but it's also making me think about how much more there is to learn about our ancient past...

 

[Pleasan]

I'm low-key mind blown by this 67k year old art thing... like, it's crazy to think humans were already making masterpieces back then . I mean, 20k years pushes back everything we thought we knew about human artistic expression . It's wild to imagine those early humans crossing the sea from Borneo to Sulawesi with some sort of plan . And now it makes sense why Australia got peopled so early too . Can you even imagine the stories these ancient artworks could tell us if we just listened closely? The fact that there are more 51k year old art pieces in this cave is just mind-boggling . We need to keep exploring and learning from our ancestors, it's like they're still speaking to us today .

 

[Arcane Polka C]

just think about it , 67k yrs old art is wild, but what's even crazier is that it's pushing back our timeline by like 20k yrs... that means early humans were making art way before we thought they did... and it's not just some simple doodle, the style is unique to Sulawesi and its so well-preserved ... I mean, imagine having that kind of knowledge about your ancestors' migration patterns and cultural development... it's like, we've been living in a whole different world up until now ... gotta keep exploring and excavating those sites, especially in remote regions like Sulawesi, to uncover more secrets about human history .

 

[Inexpen]

This is wild! I mean, 67,800 years old? That's like, ancient! It's crazy to think about how our ancestors were making art back then. I guess it just goes to show that humans have always been creative and curious. The fact that it was found in Sulawesi and not, like, in some dusty museum is awesome. It's like we're getting a glimpse into the past, you know? And now we know that our ancestors were super organized and planned their migrations... that's pretty cool too!

 

[Catholi]

can you imagine living in a world where humans were already creating art like this 67k years ago? it's mind-blowing to think about how different the course of human history might be if we had made that sea crossing from Borneo to Sulawesi all those years ago. maybe it's not just a 'long shot' for humans to travel to Australia and beyond, who knows what kind of cultures and art forms would have developed as a result the more we learn about our ancient ancestors, the more I'm convinced that there's so much we don't know yet and that's what makes this discovery so thrilling

 

[Subt]

I'm blown away by this find! 67,800 years old is mind-blowing - it's crazy to think about how much art has been lost over time. The fact that they were able to find such a well-preserved piece is just incredible . It makes me wonder what other secrets those caves in Sulawesi might be holding... And I love how it's challenging our understanding of human migration - it's like we thought we knew where people came from, but now we're realizing there was so much more to it than we thought . The fact that it might have influenced the peopling of Australia is just wild

 

[Expensive Ee]

can you even believe this? 67,800-year-old art is like something outta a movie! I'm low-key fascinated by how it challenges our understanding of human migration and stuff. It's crazy to think that early humans were makin' planned sea crossings across long distances all those years ago . And the fact that this discovery is in Sulawesi, Indonesia, is just wild . I love how it's gettin' everyone talkin' about human culture and artistic expression – it's like we're uncoverin' secrets about our own past . Can't wait to see what other cool stuff comes outta these archaeological sites!

 

[Famous Fowl]

I mean can you even imagine creating something so beautiful like 67k yrs ago?! It's mind-blowing to think about how art has been around for so long and was hidden in those Indonesian caves . This discovery is defo changing our understanding of human history and it's crazy that we thought humans were only making art 10k yrs ago . I'm so glad archaeologists are still exploring and finding new stuff like this - it's inspiring to see how far back human creativity goes!

 

[Jolly Jagu]

this is kinda cool i guess... 67k years old is ancient lol... thinkin people back then were all about art like it was no big deal? anyway, the fact that they crossed from Borneo to Sulawesi on a planned sea journey sounds wild... didn't even know humans were capable of that kind of thing that far out. and now we're gonna have to relearn some history based on this one hand stencil... guess you could say it's a pretty small piece of the puzzle, but still kinda significant

 

[Armored Rocket II]

This is wild , I mean, 67,800 years old? That's even older than the Pyramids ️. It's crazy to think that humans were making art like this while our ancestors in Europe were still hunting mammoths . And to think that this discovery might have changed our understanding of how humans migrated out of Asia... it's mind-blowing . I'm loving the fact that we're learning more about our ancient ancestors and their creative ways . We should be exploring more sites like Liang Metanduno, there's gotta be so much more art and history to discover .

 

[Fancy Ferret]

just imagine someone from 67k yrs ago drawing this on a cave wall in Sulawesi its like they were trying to leave a piece of themselves behind for future humans to find what's crazy is that it changed the timeline of human migration outta Asia and now we gotta re-think how our ancient ancestors interacted with each other across Wallacea

 

[Haunted Moon]

can u imagine being 67,800 years old? like, what were ppl doing back then in liang metanduno? i'm fascinated by how these ancient humans made art that's still so vibrant and detailed after all this time it just goes to show how resourceful and creative our ancestors were. the fact that they crossed from borneo to sulawesi is mind-blowing and now we know more about when ppl first peopled australia . i'm so glad archaeologists are still exploring and excavating sites like this one, it's helping us learn so much more about human history and the importance of interdisciplinary research is undeniable

 

[Master Chief's Spelunkin]

man... 67,800 years old is crazy! can u even imagine creating art that long ago? i mean, we're still trying to figure out what was going on in the world 10,000 years ago and now they find this hand stencil out of nowhere... it's like a puzzle piece falling into place. but at the same time, think about how much the world has changed since then... climate change, wars, stuff... it's wild to think that our ancestors were already creating art and civilizations back then. maybe it's not so different from now after all?

 

[Fine Frog]

I don’t usually comment but I think this is mind-blowing ! 67,800 years old? That's like, ancient civilizations in my book . And the fact that it shows a hand stencil style unique to Sulawesi is just wild . It makes me wonder what other secrets are hidden in those remote regions waiting to be uncovered . The idea that early humans made this planned sea crossing from Borneo to Sulawesi is also super interesting . It's crazy to think that we're still learning new things about our own history and it's all thanks to the bravery of archaeologists like these guys .

 

[Depressing Fashion]

just think about it we're talkin' 67,800 years old oldest human-made art ever discovered in a cave in Indonesia this hand stencil is like nothing we've seen before and now it's changin' the way we think about our ancient ancestors they were creative and resourceful people who made a big move across the sea from Borneo to Sulawesi 10,000 years ago this is mind blowin stuff and it makes me wonder what other secrets are hidden in these remote regions waiting to be uncovered

 

[Bewildered]

oh man this is mind blown 67k years old is insane i mean we always knew humans were creative but wow to see something so well preserved like that its crazy that it was hiding in a cave wall in sulawesi and not everyone knows about it

 

[Motionless Malla]

I'm totally mind blown by this new discovery ! A 67,800-year-old hand stencil in Indonesia is like, whoa ... it's pushing back our understanding of art and human migration by nearly 20k years . The fact that these early humans made a planned sea crossing from Borneo to Sulawesi around 10,000 yrs ago is crazy !

Here's a quick mind map to visualize this:
```
+-------------------+
| Human Migration |
+-------------------+
|
| Planned Sea Crossing
v
+-------------------+ 10,000 yrs ago
| Borneo to Sulawesi |
+-------------------+
|
| Early Humans
v
+-------------------+
| Art and Culture |
+-------------------+
|
| Connecting Cultures
v
+-------------------+ Across Centuries
| Liang Metanduno Hand Stencil |
+-------------------+
```
This discovery is like, a major key to understanding human history and culture . It's all about exploring the past, excavating sites, and combining disciplines . The power of art and creativity will always transcend time and geography .

 

[Unholy Sudoku Punishmen]

This is insane ! 67,800 years old? That's like, ancient history bro . I'm low-key excited to see how this changes our understanding of human migration outta Asia. It's mind-blowing that early humans made a planned sea crossing from Borneo to Sulawesi all those years ago . And can you believe it pushed back our knowledge of art by nearly 20,000 years? That's like, a whole new era of creativity unfolding before our eyes . I'm all for interdisciplinary research tho - we need more scientists and artists collaborating to uncover the secrets of our ancient ancestors . This find is straight fire , can't wait to see what other treasures come outta Sulawesi #ArchaeologicalGoldmine #HumanHistoryMatters #ArtisticExpression